Saudi rights lawyer jailed for 15 years

Waleed Abulkhair, centre, was also banned from travelling abroad for 15 years [Twitter]

A Saudi court has sentenced a prominent rights lawyer described by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience to 15 years in jail, relatives said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The tweet on Sunday said that Waleed Abulkhair, who has had many run-ins with the authorities over his activism and for allegedly insulting authorities, was also banned from travelling abroad for 15 years and fined 200,000 riyals (around $54,000).

His wife, Samar Badawi, in a telephone interview with AFP, stressed that Abulkhair contested the ruling and refused to recognise it.

"Waleed does not recognise the legitimacy of this court, refuses to accept its verdict and has no intention to appeal," as allowed under the law, said Badawi.

He was convicted on a series of charges, she said, including "undermining the regime and officials" as well as "inciting public opinion" and "undermining judicial authorities".

Abulkhair has been under arrest since April 16.

Rights group Amnesty International at the time called for his immediate release, saying he was being clearly punished "for his work protecting and defending human rights".

"He is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally," said Amnesty's Said Boumedouha.

He called the lawyer's detention "a worrying example of how Saudi Arabian authorities are abusing the justice system to silence peaceful dissent."

He is already facing other trials in cases linked to his activism.

'Insulting judiciary'

In October, he was sentenced to three months in prison for "insulting the judiciary" and a petition he signed two years ago criticising the authorities.

That same month he was briefly held for setting up an "unauthorised" meeting place where pro-reform activists gathered, but was later freed on bail.

In June 2012, he was accused of "disrespecting the judiciary... contacting foreign organisations and signing a petition demanding the release of detainees," some of whom were being held for suspected terror links, his wife said at the time.

Three months earlier, authorities banned him from travelling to the United States where he was due to attend a forum organised by the State Department.

Abulkhair set up a group on Facebook - Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi - which has thousands of members.